Emerald Eye of Ekron Origin?
Week 20 is about adventures in space, an appearance by Supernova, and Lex Luthor has the cure. Spoilerific report ahead and we even get to answer one of my wild speculations from last week.
Week 20 kicks off with reports from Gotham of a new vigilante in town. Could this be Two-face filling in during Batman’s absence, or someone else? While I’m sure the capture of Calendar Man is all Harvey Dent’s doing, readers are thrown a loop when it is revealed Supernova is lurking around the Batcave beneath Wayne Manor. He appears to be looking for something, and lingers for quite some time when he discovers Lex Luthor’s power glove.
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Some have already speculated that Supernova is another of Lex Luthor’s Superman clones – a.k.a. Superboy returned, but my money, at least this week, is still on Mon-El.
John Irons also makes an appearance in Metropolis helping firefighters evacuate everyone from a burning building. Seems he is finally getting used to his Lex Luthor induced super powers.
The good times are interrupted when Kala shows up with new research that indicates Luthor not only has the ability to turn the metagene on, he may also be able to turn it off. This doesn’t bode well for legitimate superheroes around the globe.
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Wasn’t the metagene storyline already done once before during the Invasion! Storyline from ’88 and ’89? If Invasion! is part of DC continuity, should DCU be worried about another Gene Bomb? Did Luthor somehow get access to the Dominators metagene research for his own evil doings? Probably not…
The majority of Week 20 is spent with Archbishop Lobo and company in sector 3500 as they decide to leave and head home. Before that happens, the asteroid/planet fragment is attacked by Interstellar Carrion feeding off the dead and dying planets.
This is a chance for the team to work together to defend the refugees. Buddy is able to use his powers to belch up fireballs, Kory, fully recharged, is able to defend too. Even Adam Strange is able to make it to the ship and jack into the weapons system to kick some butt. And Lobo? Well Lobo dies.
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He drops the Emerald Eye of Ekron, which Starfire promptly picks up and uses to eradicate the space bugs. As Lobo regenerates himself from his own blood, we finally find out what he has been scared of all along; not Lady Styx, but the owner of the Emerald Eye of Ekron – the Emerald Head of Ekron, who will do anything to get it back.
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The Emerald Head of Ekron…my wild speculation from last week was way off, but that’s why it is called Wild Speculation. 0-1 is fine by me, and I expect to be wrong many more times as the rest of 52 plays out. But that is what makes speculating so fun; doing the research, doing the math, and placing the bet.
While a giant floating head in space is cool, how messed up would Alan Scott be had his eyes been the origin of the Emerald Eye? There are still unanswered questions about the Emerald Eye/Head of Ekron that we’ll hopefully get to before the year is out.
Lobo is keen on getting the heck out of s.3500, with or without Buddy, Starfire, and Adam. Even against Starfire’s protest, they decide it is best to hightail it out of the area leaving the refugees to fend for themselves until they can return.
The Good
The Emerald Head of Ekron
Lobo regenerating from his own blood
Metagene therapy
The Bad
The Emerald Head of Ekron
Lobo regenerating from his own blood
Metagene therapy
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I’m really mixed about this week’s issue. The odyssey in space is really long and drawn out, without much happening from week to week. Considering how far the trio plus one are from home, I’m wondering if they’ll actually make it home by year’s end. The Supernova bit was interesting, as was the metagene on/off switch, and I would have liked to have seen more. In regards to the metagene, it seems already played out from the Invasion storyline.
52 has certainly had its ups and downs, and the pattern appears to be three good weeks, followed by a week of so-so.
